Big Cat Roundup 17

Reports of sightings recently received by BCIB -- up to the end of December 2007.

England

Cambridgeshire
Peterborough -- around 7:30 p.m. on Christmas Day, a prison worker was cycling to work when a large black cat around 3 foot high, 6 feet long, crossed the path in front of him.
Read more at Peterboroughtoday.co.uk



Dorset
West Knighton -- late one afternoon on the day in the middle of December, a witness was walking their dog near the quarries when a large black cat crossed the track quickly in front of them. At around 18 inches high, this cat is smaller than many reported.

Leicestershire
Lutterworth area -- at 5:30 a.m. on the 24th of December, near Lutterworth, a large dark animal rushed across the A5 in front of the witness's car. The driver and passenger both agreed it was very large, very dark, and very, very fast.


Norfolk
West Winch -- around midday on the 23rd of December, a man walking his dog on the common first heard a loud screaming cry, then saw a large black animal, the size of the German Shepherd dog, in a nearby field.

Rutland
Rutland golf course -- a golfer find some prints in a sand bunker around the 13th hole. These have been judged likely to be big cat prints.


Somerset
Exmoor -- on the night of 24th of December, a witness driving towards Simonsbath saw too big cats, which he later identified as lynx, in the road in front of his car. The cats jumped over the hedge as his car approached.


Worcestershire
Dunhampton -- around 3 p.m. on the 22nd of December, a man and his two daughters were surprised by a 'wildcat' while walking in woods. They judged it to be puma coloured (fawn) but the size of a lynx.

Yorkshire
Bradford -- at 6:45 a.m. on the 19th of December, a local man was driving down the A58 towards Birkenshaw when a large black cat crossed the road from right to left and cleared of 4 foot wall.

Tunstall -- around 3:45 p.m. on the 29th of December, to witnesses in a car spotted a large catlike animal watching them from the top of the hill, about 25 yards away. It appeared to be black, but were silhouetted against the sunset.

Scotland


Angus
Dundee -- pawprints between 5 and and 6 inches across we discovered at the end of December at Camperdown golf course in the bunker on the 14th fairway.


Roxburghshire
Melrose -- at 9:40 p.m. on the 28th of December, the driver of the car observed what he judged to be a black panther in the bushes by the side of the road.


Wales


Dyfed
Ammanford -- around six o'clock one evening early in December, a witness saw a large cat of 'a pale gingery corn colour' leap across the lane in front of her car. She judged it to be bigger than a fox, smaller than a German shepherd dog and believes it to have been a cougar (puma).



CatStats at a glance

Panther type (black) -- 7
Puma type (fawn) -- 1
Lynx type (bobtail) --2
Prints -- 2
Cries -- 1